The earliest computers were huge labyrinths of wires and vacuum tubes, perhaps best characterized by the dream of a “computer that will fit in a room” immortalized in the movie Apollo 13. The development of the transistor enabled an immediate miniaturization of electronic components, and researchers have continued to develop smaller and smaller semiconductor devices. As ever-smaller devices were developed to perform more and more functions at faster rates, devices have shrunk from room-sized behemoths to portable personal computers to handheld personal digital assistants (PDA's) that are quickly replacing pocket calendars and personal organizers.
As electronic circuitry becomes smaller and smaller, the techniques for fabricating these electronic devices are also being exploited to produce lilliputian mechanical devices. Miniature accelerometers control the inflation of airbags in automobiles. Techniques for fabricating microelectromechanical systems (“MEMS”) have also been used to produce microscopic gears and actuators. MEMS including arrays of tiny mirrors, each rotated individually in response to a miniature control circuit, are used to digitally project movies onto theater screens. However, most MEMS have tiny moving parts that are easily broken but not so easily repaired. Furthermore, moving parts in MEMS devices often stick to each other, preventing further motion and rendering the device useless. As a result, it is desirable to fabricate a MEMS device that is more robust.